1925 Dodge Brothers Series 116

The Dodge Brothers machine shop of Detroit, MI began building engines, transmissions, and axles for both Ford and Oldsmobile at the dawn of the auto industry. In 1914, they decided to build their own car and by 1920, Dodge was ranked second in sales, only behind Ford.

Dodge Brothers became the first United States auto manufacturer to mass-produce an all-steel body and first to use baked-on enamel paint. In 1925, they introduced this special Fisher body Two-Door sedan (Coach), which featured a 12-volt electrical system and automatic windshield wipers.

This Dodge Brothers was purchased by Mr. Garnett's family in 1964. He completed the restoration in 1980. The automobile received its AACA Junior and Senior awards in 1980, and most recently the Savannah Music Festival Tour.

Horace and John Dodge began production of Dodge Brothers Automobiles in 1914. Previous to that time they had been major suppliers to Henry Ford and R.E. Olds.

Dodge featured a 12-volt electrical system. In the late 1950's the auto industry adopted 12-volt as the standard. Dodge utilized an all-steel body built by the Budd Corporation. Contemporary bodies were typically built over a wood frame. The starter and generator were combined in a single unit with silent chain drive. The starter could move the vehicle at low speed in the event of a stalled engine.

Sold for $16,500 at 2016 RM Sotheby's : Hershey.
John and The Dodge Brothers, John and Horace, established their first machine shop in 1900. Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford - among others - noticed their talents and bought engines, transmissions, and axles from the Dodge Brothers. By 1913, the brothers realized they could built their own automobile, a realization that coincided with Henry Ford deciding to move production of his cars' components in-house. The first Dodge Brothers car was delivered on 14 November 1914.

The Dodge Brother's cars quickly earned a reputation as a sturdy vehicle that offered superior reliability and could be run for years with only the most basic of maintenance.

The Dodge Brothers were innovative, and were the first to use an all-steel, all-welded body in large-scale production. Their ingenuity and talents helped move them into second in industry sales by 1920. Sadly, both brothers died during 1920, leaving the company to their widows. The company dropped to fifth place in sales by 1925. The company was sold to the New York banking house Dillon, Reed & Company for $146 million, who in turn would sell it to Walter P. Chrysler in 1928, who established the marque as its Dodge Division.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2016